Hokies battle Blue Devils in Blacksburg

NCAA Basketball Betting Lines

02/02/2012 - Blacksburg, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Duke Blue Devils get back to conference business, as they travel to Blacksburg to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in an ACC matchup at Cassell Coliseum.

The Blue Devils took a break from conference action this past weekend with a hard-fought 83-76 win over St. John's. With the win, Duke moved to 18-3 on the season. At 5-1 in conference play, Duke trails only Florida State (6-1) and North Carolina (6-1) in the league standings.

The Hokies are much further down the conference ladder, sitting just outside of the league basement at 1-5. Virginia Tech has dropped two straight and six of its last seven games, including a 73-69 setback at Maryland this past weekend.

This is the 46th meeting in a series that dates back to 1912. Duke has won 15 of the last 18 meetings overall and three of the last four matchups at Cassell Coliseum.

The Blue Devils built up a 22-point lead against St. John's and withstood a late rally by the Red Storm to earn the win. Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee were dominant in the frontcourt. Kelly finished with a game-high 16 points and nine rebounds. Plumlee added his ninth double-double of the season with 15 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, while Andre Dawkins and Austin Rivers tacked on 14 and 12 points, respectively. A balanced offensive attack, Duke is 12-1 on the year when four or more players score double figures in a game. One of the top scoring teams in the nation, Duke is shooting an efficient .489 from the field, just under 40 percent from the floor, and putting up 80.3 ppg. Five Blue Devils are currently averaging double figures, led by Rivers' 14.1 ppg. Kelly (12.7 ppg), Seth Curry (12.2 ppg) and Dawkins (10.2 ppg) add to the scoring deluge from the perimeter. Mason Plumlee has been a force down low, converting 61.8 percent from the field and averaging a near double-double with 12.0 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.

Four players notched double figures for Virginia Tech against Maryland, but it wasn't enough to earn the win. Erick Green led the way in defeat with 18 points. Victor Davila and Dorenzo Hudson finished with 14 points apiece and Jarell Eddie chipped in 11. Tech fell behind early, connecting on just 6-of-25 from the floor in the first half (.240) and wasn't able to recover. The Hokies aren't the most explosive offensive team around, averaging a modest 67.7 ppg. However, the team still boasts of a +6.6 scoring margin thanks to stellar defensive play. Foes are averaging just 61.1 ppg, shooting under 40 percent from the floor (.396) and well under 30 percent from behind the arc (.259). Green leads the way with 15.9 ppg, shooting a healthy .472 from the floor. Hudson is also in double figures at 11.9 ppg. Eddie is just under the mark at 9.9 ppg.

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Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.

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